MLB New Import Tracker (That's a Wrap 2008)

I want to apologize for the lack of updates this past month. I'm writing copy for The Bill James Handbook 2009, and that's been sapping most of my sportswriting energy. But the good news is, the new Handbook is awesome and loaded with new material. And Global Baseball Company will be running in full over the winter as we keep an eye on all the happenings in the Caribbean leagues and Latin America.

So let's close the book on our new imports of 2008.

Kosuke Fukudome, RF—#1—Chicago Cubs
Birthplace: Kagoshima, Japan
After homering on Opening Day, starting his own cottage industry, and being elected as a starter to the All-Star Game in his rookie season, maybe there was just nowhere to go but down for Kosuke Fukudome during the second half of the season. Because go down he did—like a zeppelin on fire.

According to the Chicago Sun Times’ Chris De Luca, the Cubs now have a $38m problem on their hands. ESPN’s Buster Olney agrees. Fukudome went from being cheered during the season to booed during the postseason. So what the hey?

The curious case of Kosuke Fukudome defies easy explanation. With the exception of July (which was clearly an abberation) his K/BB ratio remained steady. His ability to drive the ball just seemed to melt in the summer heat—his SLG % dropped every month, bottoming out at .253 in August before bouncing back, mildly, to .283 in a part-time role in September. After hitting .305 in April, he hit .193 in August. His BA/BIP was league average—.304. And sure, he hit better at Wrigley than on the road, but what Cub didn't? Even his lefty/right splits are just about even--in fact, he fared a little better against lefties.

On the whole, Fukudome put up a decent line in his rookie season: .257/.359/.379 with 10 homers, 58 RBI, and 75 runs scored. (Looks like John Dewan's Stat of the Week prediction, last December, wasn't that far off.) Is it possible that, like the Cubs' season in general, Fukudome suffered from unrealistic expectations and way too much media hype? What if, translated from the Japanese, this is just the kind of player Fukudome is? Maybe he's not the big lefty bat the Cubs thought they were getting in the offseason. (A lot of us knew this going into it.) But is he a useful player? Sure. Is he $12m a year useful? For a team like the Yankees, Red Sox, or now the Cubs--absolutely. They won't even feel that salary, even if Fukudome ends up platooning in center next season with Reed Johnson.

So okay. Maybe Fukudome isn't the savior that will lead the Cubs to the Promised Land. And there seem to be some questions about his work ethic, skipping optional workouts, not taking extra batting practice, etc. The Cubs are talking about bringing in a private hitting coach for Fukudome next year, on top of his private trainer. And his slump came at the worst possible time, coinciding as it did with the Cubs' playoff collapse.

But given all these things, his first season stateside has to be considered a success. Better than someone like Kaz Matsui, but not as terrific as Ichiro's, or even Tadahito Iguchi—his most similar comp in Japan.

So the season didn't exactly end the way we hoped for Kosuke when the season began. Fine. As Tom Glavine said after getting pounded in his final start of 2007, the one in which the Mets' playoff hopes were crushed, their collapse completed, most seasons don't end up the way you want—that is, they don't end with a World Series win. That's why there's always next year.


Kazuo Fukumori, RP—#14—Texas Rangers
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
Apparently, the Texas Rangers were so unimpressed with Kazuo Fukumori they didn't even deem him worthy of a September call-up. It's not hard to see why: at AAA-Oklahoma he posted a 5.48 ERA, opponents hit .300 off him, and his K/BB ratio was just better than 2/1. After a miserable big league performance earlier this year in which his ERA was an insane 20.25, Fukumori needs to do a lot of work to right his ship if he expects to contribute in a meaningful way in 2009.

As the Magic 8 Ball would say, "The future is cloudy."


Masahide Kobayashi, RP—#30—Cleveland Indians
Birthplace: Yamanashi, Japan
In what started out to be a season with so much promise, Masa Kobayashi really finished the year on a sour note. He appeared in only three games in September—with the Indians way out of the race—and posted a 9.00 ERA. His ERA in August was 15.00.

Despite this, when taken in full, his season was not a complete disaster: a 4.53 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP and a 35/14 K/BB ratio. Plenty of employed major league relievers have seasons worse than this, but few have the roller coaster season we chronicled here.

Deep thoughts from Kobayashi can be found on NPB Tracker, here. "There is no yesterday," says the man. Let's hope that's true—that he can turn the page on this disappointing season and come back next year fresh.

In the end, Kobayashi turned in a middling performance that fell somewhat short of expectations (as did the season on a whole for the Cleveland Indians). On the other hand, only two-thirds of the new imports played all season in the big leagues, and he was part of that bunch. Kobayashi will certainly be back next year—not as a closer—but if things break right, and if he can keep the ball on the ground a little bit better, he could still emerge as a successful set-up man for whoever the Tribe employs to close the door in the ninth.


Hiroki Kuroda, RP—#18 —Los Angeles Dodgers
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
If there were any questions as to what kind of player Hiroki Kuroda was—or what kind of man— he answered them Sunday night in Game 3 of the NLCS. The Philadelphia Phillies led his Los Angeles Dodgers two games to none; the Phillies had pitched inside during the first two games, even sailing a pitch behind Dodger left fielder Manny Ramirez' head. According to baseball's moral code, it was time to retaliate, but none of the Dodger pitchers had the guts.

Except for Hiro.

Apparently, Dodger pitcher Derek Lowe and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt called Kuroda over to the bench, along with his translator. They explained the protocol. And Kuroda delivered, sailing a pitch over the head of Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino. The Flyin' Hawaiin was visibly upset, and seemed to be saying "If you're going to hit me, hit me in the ribs, not the head." Kuroda, unshaken, coaxed Victorino into a groundout and then, as he passed first base, exchanged a few words. Apparently, Kuroda's English is good enough to talk smack. The benches empited. No one was ejected. Justice was served.

The media seems to be crediting Dodger catcher Russel Martin for calling the pitch, but immediately after the game on the TBS broadcast, Martin said Kuroda threw the pitch on his own. The party line this morning seems to be, "The pitch slipped." But make no mistake: Kuroda knew the stakes. He looked around at the Dodger pitching staff and realized if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself. So he risked ejection and reputation in order to protect his batters. In order to send a message. "We will not be pushed around."

Kuroda went six innings in Game 3 and gave up two runs on five hits, walking one, and striking out three. It was his second sparkling postseason performancehe ushered the Chicago Cubs out of the playoffs in Game 3 of the NLDS, pitching 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball.

After a rough July in which he posted a 5.24 ERA, he was downright dominant (and perhaps finally healthy) in August and September. He went 4-2 in the season's final two months, posting a 47/11 K/BB ratio while keeping his ERA below 3.00. In the starts I've seen, including the playoffs, he's simply throwing strikes and—especially in the NLDS—forcing the opposing batters to pound the ball into the ground. It's a recipe for success, especially at Dodger Stadium, where his WHIP is almost thirty percentage points lower than on the road.

Officially, he finished the regular season 9-10, but his record speaks more to a lack of run support than a lack of performance on his part. In fact, according to Bill James Online, his ERA was 1.66 in 21.2 innings pitched against teams with a better-than .600 winning percentage; his strikeout ratio was nearly 20% better against these teams than his season's K rate. If you plotted a graph with the winning percentages of his opponents on the x axis and Kuroda's ERA on the y, it would be a ski-slope—his ERA against sub-.400 teams was a full four runs higher than teams with a winning percentage over .600. So Kuroda's postseason dominance is no surprise—he's a big game pitcher. Plain and simple.

And while he throws his fastball more than half the time, his slider jams righties while his split-finger completely neutralizes left-handed batters...his split-finger almost looks like Jose Contreras' on a good day. His expected ERA was only 3.18—more than half a run lower than his season ERA of 3.73.

Given that he's the only new MLB import still playing games, we have to consider Kuroda's first big league season a rousing success. And for all you fantasy players out there, I'd have Kuroda on my list of pitchers to try and snag cheap on draft day next year. His wins don't at all reflect how good the rest of his peripherals were, so he's almost gauranteed to be undervalued.

Except by the rest of his Dodger teammates, of course.


Alexei Ramirez, OF/2B—#10—Chicago White Sox
Birthplace: Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Let me start with this: There's no way Alexei Ramirez wins the AL Rooke of the Year. Not that he doesn't deserve it. But with all the love for Evan Longoria—who is a heckuva ballplayer in his own right—coupled with the Rays' meteoric rise, Ramirez will be lucky to garner even one first place vote.

Award voting rarely makes any sense. But let me throw a couple things out there for consideration.

Without Longoria, the Rays would most likely have finished, if not in first place, then as the wild card coming out of the AL East. When Longoria hit the DL in August, the Rays never stumbled. They had the bodies to somewhat make up for his absence.

On the other hand, without Ramirez, I contend there's no way the White Sox win the division—heck, they nearly didn't win the division with Ramirez. But the Cuban Missile opened the season in CF, finally taking over full-time duties at 2B about midway through the season. This move to the keystone coincided with the Sox' 3B, Joe Crede, hitting the DL, where he would stay for the remainder of the year. Juan Uribe, displaced by Ramirez from 2B, slid over to 3B and the Sox didn't miss a beat. Without Ramirez? Uribe stays at 2B, and Josh Fields hacks his way through the season's second half—or worse, Uribe slides to third and Sox fans would have been treated to a half-season worth of the since-dispensed Pablo Ozuna at 2B.

So, if the stats are a wash, I ask myself who was the most valuable player to his team. It was Ramirez, hands down. But there's more.

Four grand slams. That's how many Alexei Ramirez hit this year. That tied the all-time record. He hit .380 with runners in scoring position. His clutch rating was 12.4, compared to Longoria's -6 (.241 with RISP). And in an otherwise curmudgeonly and somewhat disfunctional clubhouse, Ramirez' enthusiasm cut through all the B.S. and reminded Sox fans why the game is fun.

Are there holes in Ramirez' game? Absolutely. If the rumors are true, and the Sox expect him to play shortstop and hit leadoff next year, he'll have to bring that OBP up and work a little bit harder on his glove. But few rookies don't have holes in their game. And at $4m a year--especially considering what the Cubs spent for Kosuke Fukudome last offseason—Ramirez is the bargain of the decade.

He's also the 2008 Rookie of the Year. At least as far as this web site is concerned.


Yasuhiko Yabuta, RP—#27—Kansas City Royals
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
"Shake" Yabuta earned a September call-up and pitched quite well, posting a 1.42 ERA and a 5/0 K/BB ratio, while holding opponents to a .143 batting average in 6 1/3 innings pitched. The majority of these apperances were all in junk time, with the game well out of hand, but as an audition these apperances seem to have done him good. The K/BB ratio is especially encouraging, after he walked more than he struck out in both April and June.

Having never seen them in the same room together, I wonder if Yabuta and Fukumori aren't exactly the same person. Yabuta's foray into the minor leagues (AAA-Omaha) also yielded less-desireable results: in 40 1/3 innings pitched, a 5.36 ERA, a .291 opponent batting average, and a K/BB ratio just north of 2/1. His groundball/flyout ratio is the most disturbing trend—it stands at an even 1.00. Like many of his fellow countrymen, he pounds the strikezone, but like Fukumori, he's gotta keep the ball down. Check out the stat lines of these two guys. They're eerily similiar.

For their investment, the Royals were hoping they'd hired a reliable bullpen arm. Yabuta turned out to be less than that, and hardly impressed with his minor league performance. Still, given the Japanese pride factor, I bet Yabuta makes the big league squad out of spring training next year and puts in a performance closer to Kobayashi's 2008.

Tazawa Decision Stirs Controversy, Portends Future

Much-reported in recent days is the decision of twenty-two-year-old Japanese pitching phenom Junichi Tazawa to try and sign with a major league club without playing in Japan. The Boston Red Sox are said to be the favorite to sign Tazawa. The twenty-two-year-old would join a formidable pitching staff that already includes Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima. However, four Yankee scouts, Atlanta Braves GM Frank Wren, Diamondbacks officials, and The Muffin Man have all been to Japan recently trying to lure Tazawa to their respective franchises. Peter Abraham of The Journal News adds the Dodgers to that mix, and MLB Trade Rumors has thrown the names of the Mariners, Cubs, Tigers and Pirates (the Pirates?!?!) into the ring.

Call me crazy: I just don’t see Tazawa taking the hill at PNC Park. Or Turner Field, for that matter.

Along with Abraham’s article above, NPB Tracker weighed in on the complications and morality of what Tazawa is trying to do. It’s something unprecedented, and these two articles offer the most well-rounded perspectives.

Basically, professional Japanese players can’t be signed by MLB teams until, after so many years of service, they are posted by their NPB team. MLB teams then bid for the right to negotiate with the player, and finally, the winning bid receives a short window of opportunity to negotiate with the player. Only a “gentleman’s agreement,” however, has thus far kept MLB teams from signing young Japanese players before they sign with a Japanese team, which is exactly what Tazawa is hoping to do.

The links above cover the points/counterpoints and cost/benefits of the Tazawa situation. And keeping it all in perspective is necessary, yes, but in this particular case also makes the entire situation seem bleak for the NPB. Back when Jackie Robinson was signed to play for the Dodgers’ minor league affiliate in Montreal, a lot of Negro League owners complained that, if this ‘raiding’ of black talent continued, they would never have a competitive black league that was on par with the white major leagues. What they failed to see, of course, was the future: an integrated major leagues.

I can’t help but see the same currents here, and wonder if history is about to repeat itself on a global scale.

Content Update

Sorry it's been quiet on Global Baseball Company these last couple of weeks--I blame it on my Olympic hangover. But I did want to let everybody know what I'll have coming out in the next few weeks.

At the end of September I'll wrap up the 2008 MLB New Import Tracker and break down the regular season for our new imports. If all goes well, three of our guys will be playing in the post-season, so we'll keep an eye on their performances through October.

Winter leagues start soon, so I'll be keeping an eye on the competition there, as well as the performance and progress of those major leaguers taking part. I'll have Caribbean series coverage after that, and then it will be time for my favorite rite of spring (every few years, that is): The World Baseball Classic. Hopefully, I'll be able to report live from at least one of the rounds.

On a more serious note, our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the recent hurricanes, especially our friends in Cuba. It's got to be rough down there right now. Here's hoping they get the aid they need, and that everyone comes through okay.

So check back soon. This winter will bring all kinds of exciting action.

MLB New Import Tracker (Aug 13-27, 2008)

Kosuke Fukudome, RF—#1—Chicago Cubs
Birthplace: Kagoshima, Japan
Manager Lou Piniella fired a shot across Fukudome’s bow in early August, telling reporters that unless his right fielder began to hit a little bit, he’d be forced to go with other options. Immediately, the hyper-sensitive Chicago sports media types got all crazed, and Piniella came out the next night said he didn’t mean to create such a big stir. Take that for what it’s worth—this is the same manager that has basically admitted to occasionally getting thrown out of games on purpose to take attention away from his slumping (or, in the case of Zambrano/Barrett circa 2007, brawling) players. Either way, his words seemed to take about a week and a half to translate themselves into Japanese, but maybe—just maybe—Mr. Clutch-san is starting to turn his ship around. He came off the bench to blast a pinch-hit homerun on Sunday, then followed that up in Monday’s game by going 3-for-4 with four RBI and a double. That mini-outburst got his OPS for the month of August up to a whopping .538. Two things occur to me: 1) John Dewan’s prediction for Fukudome’s final numbers wasn’t that far off and 2) Don’t count on Fukudome tearing it up down the stretch.

Kazuo Fukumori, RP—#14—Texas Rangers
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
Demoted to AAA-Oklahoma.

Masahide Kobayashi, RP—#30—Cleveland Indians
Birthplace: Yamanashi, Japan
In the reality television show that is the Cleveland Indians’ bullpen, it’s pretty clear that Jensen Lewis is now officially the man. With a save last night, he has more saves than anyone else on the staff in 2008—and he’s only been closing for oh, about the last seventeen days. And what of Masa Kobayashi? A couple low-pressure situations in August did nothing to straighten him out: He blew the save on Monday against the Detroit Tigers, entering the game in the seventh inning with a man on first. Kobayashi promptly threw a wild pitch, advancing the runner, then allowed a base hit to put men on the corners before Brandon Inge singled home the tying run. One of the uglier performances you’ll see actually—Kobayashi threw only six pitches, two of which were hit and one of which was unhittable (read: wild). His ERA for August stands at 22.50.

But maybe none of this should be surprising—or at any rate, there were warning signs. May was the only month Kobayashi posted a K rate anywhere near one per-inning-pitched (13 Ks in 14 innings). In April and June his K rate was nearly one strikeout per every two innings pitched, and there’s no way you can survive like that in the big leagues. His K rate is up closer to one per inning since the All-Star Break, but batters are also batting a slow-pitch-softball-like .625 against him for August. That won’t be sustained either, although it is a concern that in five August appearances he’s only logged two innings—he’s just not getting anyone out. Somewhere between the stellar performance Kobayashi turned in during the month of May and the woeful performance he’s turned in since the break is exactly how I see him performing in 2009—a serviceable reliever, but not a setup guy and not, by any stretch of the imagination, a closer.

Hiroki Kuroda, RP—#18 —Los Angeles Dodgers
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
One thing that definitely does not translate into Japanese—at least as far as Hiroki Kuroda is concerned—is that clichéd phrase “the dog days of August.” Only CC Sabathia (and arguably, Rich Harden) are having better months than our Japanese import. Check out this line: in five August games he’s 2-1 with a 2.10 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and a 5-to-1 K/BB ratio (25 Ks against only 5 BBs). While this is not so far away from the line he posted in May, his success might be attributed to a new exercise regimen. Hey, running helps clear my head too, so I can feel where he’s coming from.

Alexei Ramirez, OF/2B—#10—Chicago White Sox
Birthplace: Pinar del Rio, Cuba
I was stoked to flip on the television Monday night and see Alexei Ramirez starting at shortstop and hitting leadoff against the Orioles. He proceeded to go 4-for-5 with two runs and a double. A harbinger of things to come? Count on it. In 2009, The Missile will be the White Sox’ leadoff man and starting shortstop. You read it here, if not first, at least early. Ramirez hit the game-winning single in extra innings on Sunday, after a bizarre baserunning play as sneaky bastard-cum-Hollywood-starlet AJ Pierzynksi kept the inning alive. Ramirez has his OBP up to .343, and since he started getting regular playing time his OBP stands at .357. He’s still not drawing walks, but if he keeps rapping out hits, I’ll stop complaining eventually.

Yasuhiko Yabuta, RP—#27—Kansas City Royals
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
Optioned to AAA-Omaha.

Olympic Finals, Saturday Aug. 23

Before we get to the game, I want to just mention something that struck me as I was watching the Gold Medal Game (yup, I was up at 5 AM to hit record--no tivo for this luddite).

When Korea advanced to the Gold Medal Game, fourteen of their players became automatically exempt from military service. (Korea requires two years in the military from all males, unless they medal in the Olympics or win Gold in the Asian Games.) An unnamed player was quoted as saying, "It's good news, because now it means I can just play the rest of my life." Across the diamond, you had the boys from Cuba, who not only play in their country under "amateur status" but also play perpetually in the shadow of Fidel Castro, who reportedly scrutinizes each game. And then there was Japan, who sent professional players to the Olympics for the first time this year, taking a break from the regular season play.

So when we look at the team from the USA, Matt LaPorta, for example (he of the $2.3m signing bonus), it's hard not to believe that the other three semi-final teams were in fact playing for something more--the chance not to have to enlist, their very livelihoods, or absolute national pride. Not to make too much of this, but considering the stakes for the Korean players, or the Japanese players, adds a deeper meaning to the sport that is more or less completely absent from the salary-driven play of the major leagues. Are major leaguers, as a whole, the best in the world? The better trained? As a group, more physically gifted? Probably so. But even talent can't always overcome the unsettling reality that many of these baseball players from other countries labor beneath. Major leaguers are guaranteed a life of "play." And that shouldn't be taken forgranted, by them or by us.


Korea 3, Cuba 2
What a finish for what may be the last baseball game ever played in the Olympics. The star of this game had to be Korean starting pitcher Hyunjin Ryu, who worked with Mark Burhlesque swiftness and mixed speeds behind a fairly deceptive delivery. Both teams scored in the first--Korea on a two-run, opposite field homer from Seungyuop Lee, Cuba on a monstrous solo shot by Michel Enriquez, and the score held 2-1 until the seventh, when Korea scored on a double by Yongkyu Lee. But with men on second and third and two outs, Hyunsoo Kim flew out to end the threat. In the bottom half, Cuban rightfielder Alexei Belle lasered a solo homerun to right-center, and the score remained 3-2 heading into the ninth.

Cuban reliever Norberto Rodriguez dispatched the Koreans in the top of the ninth. Ryu, cruising past the 100 pitch mark, allowed a basehit in the bottom half of the inning to the leadoff batter Hector Olivera. Enriquez, who had homered earlier, laid down an effective slug bunt and advanced Olivera to second. (Strategically, this struck me as odd. Would anyone ask the New York Mets' David Wright to bunt with no outs and a man on first in the bottom of the ninth?) But it seemed to pay off, as Ryu promptly walked both Freddy Cepeda and Alexei Belle to load the bases. And here's where things got interesting.

It was something neither I nor the announcers (apparently) had ever seen before in a baseball game. After the walk to Belle, the Korean catcher, Minho Kang, went ballistic and jumped in the homeplate umpire's face. That sent both the first and third base umpires running in to break it up, along with three or four Korean coaches. The announcers seemed to think the ump was squeezing Ryu a little bit, although ball four to Belle was questionable at best. In my opinion, the Cubans finally stopped flailing at the low and outside breaking stuff, and learned by some miracle how to take a walk. Needless to say, apparently Kang disagreed. Kang was promptly ejected, causing the Koreans to have to substitute catchers in the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded and one out--in a championship game! That would be like Boston Red Sox' Jason Varitek getting tossed in the bottom of the ninth, Game 7 of the World Series. It was something I'd truly never seen. I have to think that Kang must have really said some nasty things to get himself thrown out. Or, maybe Puerto Rican homeplate umpire Rey Cotto Carlos was chaffing in all that Beijing heat, and, feeling testy, gave the kid the thumb.

No doubt because Ryu had been frozen then for a good five minutes, and because no doubt his arm was locking up after 120 pitches, the Koreans brought in relief pitcher Taehwon Chong, who quickly dealt two strikes to second baseman Yuliesky Gourriel before coaxing a game-ending, Gold Medal-snaring double play.

Like I said, quite a finish. Quite a start by Ryu, who as a twenty-one-year-old lefty might project ok in the bigs if he ever decides to make the jump.

A couple impressions: The Cubans were absolutely done in by atrocious fielding. The final boxscore shows one error, but in the top of the first three Cuban players let a ball drop into centerfield for a single; Lee's homer came after what should have been the third out. Enriquez let a ball go between his legs (the error); in the eighth, Belle had a flyball fall out of his glove that allowed the runner to reach. Y. Lee then doubled to put the Koreans up by two. In each of the innings the Koreans scored, they were basically handed four outs. And good teams will make you pay for that.

Korean fans were as loud as advertised, blowing whistles, singing, chanting, and beating on drums. The television camera even caught Cuban catcher Ariel Pestano dancing to the rhythm of the drums between pitches; enough so the announcers felt obligated to comment on it. Hey, at least Pestano, a veteran of three Olympics, was feeling loose.

I was also impressed with every at-bat from Korean rightfielder Yongkyu Lee. He seemed to foul off pitches at will, like a modern-day Eddie Collins. He alone was responsible for maybe twenty to thirty of Cuban starter Norbetro Gonzalez' final pitch count--an entire (long) inning of work. Gonzalez pitched a good game otherwise. He just made a mistake pitch to S. Lee and was worn down early by the quality and peskiness of the Koreans' at-bats.

But the real story here is the Koreans. They run the table en route to their first baseball Gold Medal ever. A combination of dominant pitching, blinding speed, and timely hitting (plus the threat of military service, perhaps) will win out nine times out of ten. Hyunjin Ryu was unflappable, allowing five hits and two walks over 8 1/3. striking out seven. Is Korea the favorite heading into the 2009 World Baseball Classic? Perhaps. Although I'm sure both Cuba and Japan are anxious for another matchup. Boxscore.


United States 8, Japan 4
The USA takes home the Bronze Medal, which is some consolation for failing to qualify for the Olympics in 2004. Japan touched US starter Brett Anderson early, but he settled down to go seven innings in which he allowed four runs and struck out six. Third baseman Matt Brown capped a stellar Olympic performance by going 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI and a homer; Matt LaPorta also went yard. But the game-winner came on catcher Taylor Teagarden's two-run double in the fifth, which put the United States up for good.

This game wraps up a disappointing Olympics for Japan, who loses four of the nine games despite fielding a team of professionals. They never seemed to gel. Like I predicted, over-engineered. Boxscore.

Olympic Semifinals, Friday Aug 22, 2008

Korea 6, Japan 2
Korea advances to the Gold Medal game by putting up four runs in the eighth, two on a home run by first baseman Seungyuop Lee. Korean starting pitcher Kwanghyun Kim went eight innings, allowing one earned run on six hits and one walk while striking out five. Japan just couldn’t put together enough big hits—all six of their hits were singles. For what it’s worth, the undefeated Korea owns Japan. That’s two wins in the 2006 WBC and two more in the 2008 Olympics, against only one (albeit pivotal) loss in the ’06 Classic. Korean fan blood lust is somewhat mollified by this victory, and they’re sure to bring out the Thundersticks for tomorrow’s ultimate game. Boxscore.


Cuba 10, United States 2
Not that there was really any question heading into this game, but Cuba proved beyond a shadow of a doubt what nation had the better squad. Like the Korea-Japan game, the eighth inning put this game out of reach. Cuba exploded for six runs off USA pitchers Jeff Stevens and Neal Blaine: Alexei Belle cranked a three-run homer that was followed, three batters later, by a three-run bomb from Ariel Pestano. Alfredo Despaigne also homered in this match. Cuban starter Norge Luis Vega improves to 2-0, while relief pitcher Pedro Luis Lazo went three innings to notch his second save. USA starter Stephen Strasburg didn’t pitch too poorly; he worked four innings and allowed only two earned runs while striking out five. Cuba advances to the Gold Medal game, where they’ll play Korea—the only team to beat them thus far in the 2008 Olympics. The USA will face off with Japan for Bronze Medal bragging rights. Boxscore.

Olympic Preliminaries, Wednesday, Aug 20

Cuba 17, China 1
Ouch. I can barely even look at this boxscore. That’s how ugly it is. Or is that just how different the level of competition is? Was China running its Youth for Communism Cadet Corps out there? Sadly, no. And so, like rubbernecking at a nasty car wreck on the highway, let’s take a look at highlights: Giorbis Duvergel (4 RBI), Ariel Pestano and Michael Enriquez (4-for-4 with 3 RBI) all homered for Cuba. Starting pitcher Elier Sanchez barely had a chance to work up a sweat; he was lifted after two innings of work, departing with a 9-0 lead. Even the vendors were glad when the mercy rule was invoked in lieu of the seventh-inning stretch. Boxscore.


Korea 10, Netherlands 0
Two things strike me as amazing about this game. One, that coming as it did on the heels of a 17-1 blowout, the final score doesn’t seem so bad. Two, it’s amazing how the field begins to separate after only one week of games—honestly, it’s probably best for everyone that the preliminary round is finally over. It was basically the Lee Show for Korea: Jongwook Lee was 3-for-5 with a run; Yongkyu Lee was 4-for-4 with two runs and an RBI; Daeho Lee was 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI; and Taekkun Lee was 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBI and a jack. Together, the Lees accounted for six runs, six RBI and two homers while batting a collective .647 on the day. They recorded 12 putouts (one by Jinyoung Lee, who came in off the bench in the eighth) and two sacrifice flies. The only blemish? Yongkyu was caught stealing in the third. Boxscore.


Chinese Taipei 6, Canada 5
Finally! A game to write home about! And all of 1,600 fans were on-hand to see it! Taiwan wins it in the twelfth on Chih-Hsien Chang’s RBI single, and manages to end their 2008 Olympic experience on a high note. The Clutch Performance Fist Jab of the Day must go to Taiwanese pitcher Fu-Te Ni, who, thanks to the new extra-inning slow-pitch softball rules, entered the bottom of the twelfth with a man on first and second and nobody out. Unfazed, Ni struck out the side to end the game. Boxscore.


United States 4, Japan 2
It took the slow-pitch softball rules to get either of these two teams to score a run—this game was goose eggs all the way through the tenth inning. What the Cuba-China game was for offense, this game was for pitching. Four different pitchers went two innings each for the US, each striking out two; Yu Darvish, Masahiro Tanaka and Kenshin Kawakami pitched a two-hit shutout for Japan until Hitoki Iwase gave it up in extras, in his second inning of work. Centerfielder Dexter Fowler was 2-for-3 for the States; Hiroyuki Nakajima went 2-for5 with a double for the Land of the Rising Sun. Both of these teams knew they were advancing before the game even began; this was more like the first round of a heavyweight boxing tournament, with both fighters sort of just feeling one another out. Semi-finals begin Friday. Boxscore.